Fame
& Fortune: Andy Summers'Police' guitarist profits with
'Every Breath You Take' | | |
| Bankrate:
Did money hold any significance for you then?
Summers: Well, we all
got so much of it that it didn't really matter in the end. We made
... well, you can imagine. We sold endless millions of records and
we got very well paid to play, although that doesn't seem true by
today's standards. Boy, doing it now would be the time to do it.
The price of tickets now, it's insanity. When we were playing, $30
was a top-notch seat.
Bankrate:
What did you do with your money once it started coming in? Summers:
Well, we took advice on this stuff like anyone else. You create a portfolio with
stocks and bonds and all the rest, depending on what type of risk you want to
take. I always have taken a fairly conservative stance. Bankrate:
Of course, there was the famous case where Sting's accountant was siphoning off
some cash. Summers: Yeah, one thing
I will say about getting to this level is, you need to get an education about
it all pretty quickly. We would never do anything except sign contracts and it
went on for years. It takes a while to learn about finances and investing and
all that. I'm not an expert at all. I remember a period, post-Police, when I started
to read a few books about investing so that I could really get into it and I finally
found that I'm really not that interested. I take a fairly conservative stance
and I think I ask the right questions. I had a couple of other problems along
the way. I've got it all right now, but it took me a while to get there. You watch
over it and be smart about it, I suppose, if you want to continue to keep living
the nice life. You pick up a certain amount of wisdom over the years, but there's
no fast track. I haven't got the time. I'm a musician. I can take some interest
in it but I'm not suddenly going to give it all up to managing money. It was never
the driving force, but now that I've got some, I take an interest in keeping it. Bankrate:
Did having twin boys a few years after the Police disbanded help ground you? Summers:
Oh, I think so. Absolutely. There is nothing more grounding than children. Suddenly
it's not just you -- you're looking after somebody else. That will put your feet
back on the ground real fast. For me, it was very good ballast and put me in a
situation where I was able to make many records and tour and all that, but from
a position of strength and balance. I feel sorry for musicians who never have
families and they're just out doing their one thing. That must be awfully hard. | 
